By Diana McFarland

With a blustery mix of rain and freezing cold temperatures, Smithfield cancelled its annual Christmas parade because of the weather, according to organizers.

It will not be rescheduled, but Isle of Wight County Tourism officials are floating the idea of replacing it with a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.

The Smithfield Christmas Market, also cancelled last Friday due to weather, has been rescheduled for Friday, Dec. 15, 6-9 p.m. on Main Street.

Isle of Wight County Director of Tourism Judy Winslow said the decision to cancel the market was made early on the day of the Dec. 5 Town Council meeting, so organizers were able to go through the “process” that day.

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By Diana McFarland

Managing editor

The Smithfield Town Council passed a resolution Dec. 5 allowing VDOT funds to be used for maintaining a large swath of Main Street. That would include using state funds to pave it with asphalt, a material VDOT considers “standard,” said Smithfield Town Engineer Wayne Griffin.

If the town paves the street with a more visually appealing, but non-standard, surface over the asphalt, that portion would have to be paid for by the town, said Griffin.

The street is currently paved with a non-standard material, round brown pea gravel. The granite curbs along a portion of Main Street are also not considered standard by VDOT, Griffin said.

Smithfield 2020 member Rick Bodson said emphatically Thursday, “There will not be asphalt on the road (Main Street),” during an informational meeting on Columbia Gas’ project to replace gas lines beginning in January.

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By Diana McFarland

Vandenberg is Foods’ new military talent acquisition manager, tasked with hiring 4,000 veterans of all stripes by the end of 2020 — a company goal called Operation 4000!

Vandenberg is looking for veterans to fill jobs ranging from retail to animal welfare to maintenance, logistics, management and more.

What veterans often don’t realize is that Foods has 44 manufacturing facilities, four corporate offices, seven distribution centers and many hog farms spread out across 28 states, Vandenberg said in an interview last week.

Vandenberg’s job is to scout local military installations, social events, transition offices, state agencies and other resources to find veterans looking for a job.

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Do your children or grandchildren want to write a personal letter to Santa Claus?

Isle of Wight and Surry county children wanting to send their Christmas wishes to Santa this year can do so via The Smithfield Times.

The letters will be published in the Dec. 20 issue. The Smithfield Times also encourages children to send in original artwork that can be published along with the letters as space allows.

The deadline for submitting letters is Friday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.

Letters can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mailed to “Santa,” c/o The Smithfield Times, PO Box 366, Smithfield, VA 23431 or they can be delivered in person to the special Santa mailbox located at the office at 228 Main St. in downtown Smithfield.